Final Week! The Homestretch

This is it!  This is the time in the class when I start wishing we had more time to read and discuss the ideas that are emerging.  We have only scratched the surface, and our time is up. 

This week I would like your final response to be to your weekly reading (which is all about technology) and/or anything else you wish to comment on. What still needs to be said about teaching writing? What are you thinking now about teaching writing, online professional development, the structure of the class, future directions for ASWC?  Also feel free to email me ideas for improving the class next year.  I value all suggestions.

Thanks so much for all your contributions.  The thing I love about the Virtual is I always go away feeling we have learned so much from each other just by framing and discussing on the blog.  The class is truly a collaborative effort, and you have shaped it well.

(Post final response here!)

ASWC Opportunities Abound

Two great opportunities for credit and further collaboration with ASWC teachers are available. One is a basic summer institute in Homer and the other is an Invitational Institute in Anchorage for those who want to become even more involved. Completing our Virtual Institute allows you to be among those who are eligible to apply for either.   

Check the ASWC website for more information on both..

ASWC Invitational Summer Institute

WHEN

• UAA Campus June 6 – 24, 2011 (face-to-face sessions)
• Online meetings will start in May with all ISI participants (Dates TBA) - On-campus sessions will meet from 900 a.m. – 500 p.m., M – F & Sat. (6/18).

WHERE

• UAA Campus Classroom (Housing will be provided at the UAA dormitories for member-district participant. For those from non-member districts, housing is available at very reasonable rates, @$35.00/night. Contact Mardell Kiesel, ASWC Director; aswcmardell@gmail.com for more information.)

FOR WHOM

• Educators of all subjects are welcome (elementary through college) who have preferably completed an ASWC Open Institute or who have a strong background of rigorous writing experiences. All applicants must complete the ISI Application 
• A quintessential opportunity is offered to educators who qualify by background experience, recommendation and passionate interest!

ASWC Open Institute Homer

ED 593, ASWC’s Open Institute, will direct K-12 educators from all content areas to examine their work as teachers and writers by writing daily, responding to and analyzing their writing, and examining current research, practice, and assessment models shown to improve student performance. Teachers will also explore strategies for responding to student writing and effective uses of technology, all of which will provide a framework for implementing new strategies within their classrooms. Course delivery will utilize a combination of face-to-face class-time, as well as online discussion. 

Course Information

• ED 593 (through UAF) 
• 3 credits
• Cost: $195 (Registration through course instructors**)
• Target Audience: K-12 Educators across all content areas
• Grading Info: A-F Grading
• Prerequisites: None
• Location: West Homer Elementary School, Homer, Alaska

Implementation Paper Final Draft

Publish the implementation paper here.  Also email a copy to me at sondraak@gmail.com so I can share it with other member of ASWC.

Personal Writing Final

Celebrate and publish your final draft of the narrative or other choice for personal writing here.

Where in the world does it all go?

Here is the scoop on where to post what--

• Ning:   Share your drafts for both the implementation paper and the narrative with your group
• Blog:    Post the final drafts for the implementation paper and narrative online for all to see
• Email:  Email your final draft of the implementation paper to me

You are now a member of the National Writing Project--Write on!

Writing Project Teachers Give Advice, Ideas on Edutopia Blog - National Writing Project
 

As our class comes to a close, be aware that you can still continue the kind of posting and discussions we have been having by engaging in online dialogue with teachers throughout the country who are associated with the National Writing Project(NWP)--funding from which enabled this class and the Alaska State Writing Consortium to operate. You can offically join NWP by going to their website and signing in. A wealth of material awaits.

Because Digital Writing Matters

The Authors of "Because Digital Writing Matters" Discuss the Digital Directions of Writing - National Writing Project

This is another National Writing Project book that you might consider for summer reading! I highly recommend it!

Implentation paper starts; narrative continues

This week you will also begin writing the implementation paper, your last major assignment. This one page essay--approximately 400 words-- is simply a reflection on what you plan to do next year as a result of what you have been reading and writing in this class. Are there ways you can improve your teaching or assessment of writing? What have you learned about yourself as a writer? Have you learned more about any technology that you might find useful next year? Consider the text, readings, class discussions, assignments, and lessons shared by your classmates. I suggest you begin by a fastwrite/brainstorm “ Next year I will…” I am asking that you share that first draft or fastwrite of the implementation paper with your Ning response group this week. Collaborate with your group in any way you wish.

The work on the narrative/memoir seems to be going strong.  I am looking forward to the final products and I notice lots of growth in the Ning response. Try to post your final draft this week or early next week.  
 

The Implementation paper and the narrative/memoir will be due after the class is finished any time before April 4. I believe I must submit all grades to the University of Alaska on April 7. No incompletes are allowed.

Week Seven: Response to Reading

We have two articles to review.   Growing Beyond Grades presents a student-centered approach to teaching and assessment,  a somewhat rare idea in the age of standardized assessment., but much along the lines of what you have been discussing online. Are students capable of measuring their own progress?  The third piece is from National Writing Project  and contains concrete teaching ideas for inclusion in writing programs, some of which have been discussed earlier.  (I included this selection because I thought it might be helpful in starting your implementation paper.)

The discussions were have been rich on assessment. Continue your conversations about the Six Traits, assessments, and grading practices. Consider posting a writing/project rubric, idea for approach to grading, or a successful strategy for responding to student work. Continue to share what works for you and how you practice modeling. 

Looking ahead..two weeks plus ahead

I took this picture in India last year while riding on an elephant. 

We are quickly approaching the end of the class!   

It is hard to believe six weeks have passed already.  These last two weeks will include: 

• discussing weekly readings
• completing a final draft of your personal writing to your satisfaction
• continuing response and conversation about your writing with your Ning group
• submitting an implementation paper 

 Essentially the implementation paper is a culminating reflective essay that outlines some of the ideas you have gleaned from the readings, text, online discussion, and your own experiences.  Hopefully this paper will help you formulate a plan for implementing some new ideas and approaches for teaching writing next year or even for the rest of this year.  

Week Six: Response to Reading

We are finished with the text, but you have other reading and/or sites to visit each week.  This week your response covers some of the most difficult areas of teaching:  responding, assessing, and evaluating."The Writing Rubric" is a basic discussion of one rubric and how it is effectively used.  Most of you are likely to be familiar with 6+1 Trait Rubrics linked here to information on NWREL site.  I am also directing you to a site produced by the University of Minnesota on Response. Also included "Teaching to the test.."(Week 6 at bottom) in your discussions. 

Your responses have been particularly impressive and thoughtful, already touching on some of my suggestions for this week. I am thinking back to our first discussion about what kinds of experiences we should be offering students for effective results and some of the posts you made there.  How does that fit here?   Let's keep up the momentum! 

Possible topics:

• How can we find time to read, respond to, and evaluate student work? 
• Review and consider what "Writing Next" and the 11 strategies imply relating to evaluation.
• Do you use rubrics, and if so, how do they work? Tips? Limitations?
• Post an effective rubric for a project or a strategy for responding to student work.
• Do you incorporate peer response in your writing process?  When or how? 
• What about individual writing conferences? Are they manageable or effective for you?

Week Six Overview

This is such an easy week!  All we have in the response to reading is to solve the universal problems of assessment, evaluation, and response.  No big deal, huh? 

And in your spare time, remember to contribute to the Ning where you are working on narratives.  Review the two roles you have as a response group member.   I am hoping to see lots of revision and response given by everyone in the group to everyone else in the group.  Response is difficult work.  Let's see how we as teachers can become more comfortable responding to our peers.   How can we translate this process to our classrooms? 

As we discuss assessment, keep in mind how you use the information it gives us.  If you haven't had a chance to read the short piece I posted a few weeks back on formative assessment, check that out as well.

My office hours are canceled this week.  If you need me, let's continue to communicate via email.   Feel free to call as well.

What is the NING all about?

Early Desert Bloom in March

Your Ning group is the official writing response group for the narrative.  We will be working on revising the narratives from now until the end of the class.

You have two official roles as a response group member.  

First, you are a writer who is coming to the group for guidance and advise about your writing.  You, however, are still in absolute control of you own work.

1. Ask the group for SPECIFIC suggests on your paper so that they will feel free to comment.  
2. If there are aspects of your paper which you do NOT want comments on, indicate  you are satisfied or “finished” with that particular item or section.  
3. Ask for clarification if you do not understand the response. 
4. Acknowledge the comments made by others if they ask questions.

Secondly, you are a responder for each member of your group.

1. Read and respond directly to any questions the writer asks,  
2. Make your comments specific and indicate paragraph/ sentences that you are referring to. 
3. Remember to be constructive, not destructive, but also feel obliged to help make the paper even better than it is.   
4. Make your comments include suggests and questions, not just praise .

 Use the following questions I use with my college students as a guide.

• What parts of the paper did you find confusing or hard to understand and why? 
• Is there anything you would cut or add? Why? 
• What is the most important part of this paper and why? 
• What sentences sound awkward or seem odd? 
• What emotions do you think the writer is trying to convey with the narrative?  Does it work?
• Where does he/she seem to be saying/explaining too little? Too much?

Response hint:  Sometimes response is best posed as in questions.  Rather than saying "you should add more detail to the description of your friend"  ask "could you paint a clear picture of your friend in the first section when you introduce him to the reader?"  This is a concrete suggestion and more specific.

Some Clarifying Thoughts on Writing the Narrative

We will be working on the narrative for the next several weeks on the Ning.  Most of you have a start, but during Week 6 the response process will begin in earnest. More will be posted on that protocol.  If you wish to change your topic for Week 6 you can, but after that I would like for you to stick to the same piece and see what can happen with revision.

Your assignment is to write a personal narrative or a memoir. A memoir is simply a memory piece or an autobiographical narrative. For our purposes, you do not need to write your complete autobiography. Instead focus on telling us one story from the thousands of stories you have stored in your mind. You may pick a memory that is fresh or something from the distant past. The narrative might be a glimpse of you in an earlier time, a forceful, emotion memory, some reflection upon your education or an account of a particular experience. All these decisions are up to you.  You may use something you started earlier.

If you are in doubt as to a topic, consider making this a learning narrative. Focus on some aspect or experience that has taken place in your education. What do you most remember from grade school? How did you learn to read? What are your vivid memories about writing? Were there assignments that you loved or hated? Memoirs and other personal narratives have been particularly popular over the years for several good reasons:
• Creative expression. The memoir genre provides an opportunity to write highly personal stories that draw on our own experiences.
• Family history. Memoir is a modern-day (and more indelible) counterpart to the oral storytelling tradition. I think of the memoir or persoal narrative a a way to preserve an event that has touched me or my family. A memoir can become a family treasure.
• Genre Exploration.  Several of you are writing poems; most are wiring prose for the narrative.  You can use any form you like.
Happy writing!

One Thing that Works

When all is said and done, we know what works!  Use this opportunity to share a successful lesson, unit, or practice with your classmates.  This could be the MOST valuable sharing we have done.

Week Five Response to Reading

This week's readings deal with teaching to standards and an article about mandating teaching practices. The National Council of Teachers of English has developed their own set of standards linked here.  Review the Alaska content standards for writing for your level. 

In Chapter Five, the text states that "State curriculum documents and assessments are now carrying a new message: writing should no longer be "the silent R" of learning...Improving writing is now seen as important for learning subjects other than English."  Here are a few ideas to discuss in regard to the reading:

• Do you feel both these statements are true at your site?
• How important are state standards to your daily teaching?
• How "mandated" is what you do?
• Have you ever been forced to teach in a way you did not feel was a good fit for your philosophy or style?
• What are some of your own "standards" or goals as a teacher of writing? 
• If you could change or revise some of the state standards, what changes would you make?

Let's save discussion about assessment and qualifying exams for next week. 

Week Five Overview

AZ: Windmill I see on a favorite walk

Focus:  Sharing Writing, Lessons, Ideas

(I realize spring breaks will be occurring over the next few week. I will be understanding if you are traveling. Just catch up as soon as you can.)

Reading: 

• This week's reading includes Chapter 4- 5 Because Writing Matters as well as an article entitled Working with Mandated Curriculum by Lock
•  Also take this opportunity to review Alaska Department of Education Writing Grade Level Expectations.  Those of you who are not English or Language Arts teachers, see how you can apply these standards to your teaching.

Writing: 

• Share a writing best practice from classroom: lesson, idea, strategy, etc.  You may post it under the "One thing that works" on this blog.
• Begin drafting your own personal narrative/memoir. Write a first draft or fastwrite and post it n the Ning group for response. This could be an extension or revision of something you started on one of the Virtual Journal entries.
• Also in your Ning groups,  discuss what makes a writing assignment work/fail in your specific situation; structuring writing workshops, and/or writing across the curriculum.

Virtual Office Hours: Tuesday 4-5  Remember I will be standing by on email or ready for a chat on gmail or the Ning.  Email me with questions any time or comments.  I appreciate the conversations that are taking place this week.  The candid writing about your classrooms has been valuable and introspective. I am hoping that will carry over to the Ning

Keep writing!  We are  half way through the our Virtual Institute.

Writing Group ON!

Writing group in Denali National Park

This has been a struggle to organize.  Whew!   I have put you in these groups of teachers that I feel you have much in common with; however, if you want to switch for some reason, just let me know.  I will try and make necessary adjustments.

At this point the groups are as follows:

(You will have to name your group) 


1. BISHOP, NOVITSKA, AYUMI, GANTZ, SERGE-HOESCHEN. KEIL (ESL or Language learners)
2.  POCK, KINDRED,  GRIBBLE, ZOSKE, FEUER (mostly elementary)

3.  CURRIER, Woodward, Borland/Bayes, Gardella, Jenness (mostly secondary)
4.   REDM0ND, LLOYD,  THOMPSON, STOLTZ, RASMUSSEN, GOOD (some SPED, middle school)


Let me know ASAP if you would like to switch groups.  I will be linking you up in a Ning or BLOG.  There you will be able to post all your Virtual Journals including your work for this week.  Stay tuned!

Update Sunday PM:  I set up the Ning groups, so you should have received an invitation to join a group by now.  You will have to accept my invitation and join the ASWC ning.  Remember I can still make changes if you wish to be with a certain colleague. 

Best Practice: Formative Assessment Done Right

Best Practice: Formative Assessment Done Right
Another Reading Response option (Week 4 or 5):  Check this link out as it relates directly to our discussion from the text and from "Teaching to the Test."   I also found some of the additional comments by readers of her post interesting.  What do you think about the value of formative assessment?  Do we need more structure and training in this area?  What do you do?  A response here can count for reader response for 4 or 5.